The city wants to find out if people who live at several Gilbert properties have paid their city income taxes.

Gilbert maintains he doesn't have the legal right to release tenants' personal information to any third-party.

Daniel Howes, Detroit News business columnist, joined Stateside to talk taxes in Detroit.

Listen above to hear why Gilbert is pushing back against the city on the issue, why Detroit is seeing the potential for tax evasion in the first place, and what Howes suggests the city do rather than go through the courts.

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The city of Detroit is suing Bedrock Management Services for allegedly failing to turn over information about tenants in some rental properties.

Bedrock is the real estate services firm owned by Quicken Loans CEO and downtown Detroit’s largest landowner, Dan Gilbert. Gilbert calls what the city is asking for "confidential personal information"--and says Bedrock won't release it without a court order.

A few years after the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler, I found myself on the long porch of Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel chatting with Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.

He was talking about the Chapter 11 process to help failing companies and how it helped Chrysler and GM survive – thanks to Obama's auto task force and American taxpayers.

It also forced the people running those companies – and those who would follow – to make hard decisions. I was reminded of that this week. In less than 24 hours, those who care got three separate looks at the financial health of Detroit’s three automakers and things looked different.